Looking Back at 10 Years of RELEVANT

Ten years ago, the media world looked a little different than it does today. People actually bought CDs. Cell phones were used for, you know, calling people. And Facebook wasn’t even a glimmer in little Marky Mark’s eye.

What we read, how we communicate and the way we create and consume media is a radically different animal now. Back in 2003, you were cutting edge if you used a grunge font and paint splatter. Now, reading our iPad issue involves almost every sense. (Well, not scent or taste. Yet.)

We’d like to think that in the past 10 years, we’ve grown up some. And so have you. More likely than not, this past decade has been formative—refining, in ways big and small, the way you see the world, engage culture and experience God.

Like media’s changes and challenges, faith is shifting, as well. Some are even pronouncing it dead, noting the much-ballyhooed “rise of the nones” and the growing exodus of twenty- and thirtysomethings from the Church. Of course, faith is no more tumultuous now than it ever was. Our approach to it is evolving, and how we practice our faith must keep up with the problems facing our world and our hearts—just like Christians have done for thousands of years.

To that end, in the section you’re about to read, we’re looking over our shoulder and around the curve ahead. We’re exploring what has shaped us in the past decade—the 10 trends and 10 people who have most contributed to who we are today—and looking forward, asking Christian leaders to weigh in on which issues they think will be most crucial for us to address in the next decade. By heeding their vision, we can ensure the next 10 years won’t see the death of faith at all.